Jaguars make Brandon Linder the NFL's highest paid center

After Peter Ariz of Out the Huddle revealed that a deal was in the works, NFL Insider Ian Rapoport broke the news that the Jacksonville Jaguars had officially come to an extension with offensive lineman Brandon Linder — making him the highest paid center in the league. According to Rapoport, the extension (five-years, $51.7 million) makes Linder the highest paid center in the league, which would top the five-year, $44+ million deal signed by Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey.

The #Jaguars made Brandon Linder the highest-paid center in @NFL history. He is signing a 5-year extension worth $51.7M, source said. 💰💰💰

Linder, 25, is by far the Jags best offensive lineman and the team obviously felt obligated to get a deal done before letting him become a free-agent in 2017. The team now can shift their focus to one of their other key players in Allen Robinson, Telvin Smith or Marqise Lee — all of whom are entering contract years.

Linder was drafted in the third-round (No. 93 overall) of the 2014 draft out of Miami University. Since, he has battled through injuries to become one of the league’s best offensive lineman and Pro Football Focus graded him as the fifth-best center in the league. With ample cap space, the deal was a no-brainer when considering his body of work and allows the Jags to lock up one of their best players.

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